I
wandered
lonely
as
a
Cloud
The inspiration, the poem, the place
The most famous poem in the English language, ‘I wandered lonely as a Cloud’, was composed in 1804, two years after Wordsworth saw the daffodils while walking along the shore of Ullswater on a stormy day with his sister, Dorothy.
This page brings together the story behind the poem, our on-site Daffodil Trail, videos, and ways to continue your visit at home.
1804
Composed
1807
first published
Wander the Daffodil Trail
A self guided spring experience at Wordsworth Grasmere
1
Step back 200 years and experience the sights, sounds and smells of the Wordsworths’ family home.
2
Wander the pathways the Wordsworths themselves walked 200 years ago.
3
Walk amongst the wildflowers in the Woodland above Dove Cottage
4
A Thousand Daffodils display cascading down the bank from the Garden-Orchard.
5
Discover Dorothy’s journal entry, early editions and explore more about the poem and inspiration.
1. Dove Cottage
It was whilst living in Dove Cottage, amongst the hustle and bustle of daily life, that William Wordsworth wrote many of his greatest poems and his sister Dorothy kept her fascinating Grasmere journal. See a couch where he lay, explore facsimiles of manuscripts, letters, and objects connected to the Wordsworths’ lives.
2. Garden-Orchard
Wander the Garden-Orchard, where early spring flowers are starting to bloom. Take in the colours, scents, and landscape, and explore the pathways that the Wordsworths walked 200 years ago.
3. Woodland Walk
Continue into the Woodland, where daffodils and early wildflowers echo the landscapes Dorothy recorded in her journals. Experience the stunning views across Dove Cottage to the lake beyond.
4. A Thousand Daffodils display
Follow the trail to the central bank bridging the Garden-Orchard and the Museum. Here clusters of ceramic daffodils created by Helen Ratcliffe in collaboration with Another Way, capture Dorothy Wordsworth’s description of the flowers “dancing” beside Ullswater. Pause for photographs, scan the QR code for readings of the poem, and enjoy the combination of art and nature in one striking display.
5. Museum
Finish your trail in the Museum, where early printed editions of the poem and Dorothy’s handwritten journal entry are on display. The exhibition provides context for the poem’s creation and invites you to think about how everyday observation and collected objects become part of literary history.
Visitor tips
- Time: Allow 1.5 – 2 hours to take in the full Wordsworth Grasmere experience.
- Photography: The ceramic daffodils are perfect for photos and social sharing.
- Accessibility: Paths are maintained, though some woodland sections may be uneven.
- Family-Friendly: A great activity for the whole family to explore the full Wordsworth Grasmere site.
What's the story behind the poem
'I wandered lonely as a Cloud'?
When was the poem written and published?
William Wordsworth composed the poem in 1804, two years after he and his sister Dorothy encountered the daffodils at Ullswater in April 1802.
It was first published in 1807 in Poems, in Two Volumes. Wordsworth did not give it a separate title, it is known by its opening line.
A revised version appeared in 1815 in his collected Poems, and this later text – expanded to four stanzas – is the version widely read today.
What inspired the poem?
In this poem, Wordsworth reimagines a moment on a walk with Dorothy on 15 April 1802. On that stormy day, William and Dorothy were surprised by the beauty of a long stretch of wild daffodils along the shore of Ullswater. Two years later, William wrote his poem.
Dorothy recorded the scene in her Grasmere journal, describing “a long belt” of daffodils that “tossed and reeled and danced.” Her prose account captures the movement and vitality of the flowers in strong winds by the lakeshore.
Did Wordsworth revise the poem?
Yes. Wordsworth added a new stanza in the revised version as well as making small revisions to wording, punctuation and capitalisation.
These changes deepen the poem’s emphasis on memory and reflection. The added stanza clarifies that the daffodils’ lasting power lies not simply in the original experience, but in its later recollection – what Wordsworth elsewhere describes as emotion “recollected in tranquillity.”
The revision aligns the poem more closely with his developing theory of poetic imagination.
Why has the poem remained so popular?
The poem combines accessible language, memorable rhythm, and a clear structure with a complex meditation on memory and imagination.
Its central idea – that an apparently simple encounter with nature can continue to nourish the mind long afterwards – has proved enduring. The phrase “inward eye” in particular has become shorthand for the imaginative power of memory.
The poem is now one of the most frequently anthologised and recited works in English.
Did Dorothy Wordsworth write any part of the poem?
One of the world’s best loved poems began with a conversation between William and Dorothy Wordsworth.
Dorothy’s journal entry provides a written account of a daffodil sighting and may have influenced William’s later composition. The relationship between her observational prose and his poetic transformation remains an important example of creative exchange within the Wordsworth household.
In later life, Wordsworth acknowledged that two lines were suggested by his wife, Mary Wordsworth:
“They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude.”
Where were the daffodils?
The daffodils were seen near Gowbarrow Park on the shore of Ullswater in April 1802. William and Dorothy were returning to Dove Cottage after staying with their friends Catherine and Thomas Clarkson, the anti-slavery campaigner.
Are the daffodils still there?
Yes. Wild daffodils (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) continue to bloom in the Ullswater area, though flowering times vary depending on seasonal conditions. Changes in climate and temperature mean they now bloom earlier than in the early nineteenth century. The land around Gowbarrow is now cared for by the National Trust.
Was the poem well received when first published?
Poems (1807) was harshly reviewed. Some reviewers found Wordsworth’s focus on ordinary natural scenes overly simple or trivial. The poem did not immediately occupy the central place in his reputation that it does today.
‘Surely if his worst foe had chosen to caricature this egotistic manufacturer of metaphysic importance upon trivial themes, he could not have done it more effectually!’.
Here, in a letter, the poet Anna Seward, whilst expressing ‘warm admiration’, for some of the poems in Poems (1807) singles out the daffodils poem as causing her ‘contemptuous astonishment and disgust’.
Its popularity grew gradually over the nineteenth century, particularly as Wordsworth’s standing as a major poet of nature became established. The poem is widely taught in schools across the world to this day.
